The sound of rain
by Loveforthestory
Summary: "A cold night from hell had turned into a rainy grey morning and him almost dying from hypothermia. The miserable cold had turned into someone taking care of him. Another Matheson too stubborn to leave his side. But Charlie, she gave him so much more."


_The sound of rain_

Charlie looked at Monroe, who was walking right in front of her. They were walking under trees to keep most of the rain from their bodies. Thunder started to roll in. He looked like hell. It made Charlie frown and something tug uneasy in her belly. The rain was finding the spots on her skin that were not covered by tank, jacket or pants.

The raindrops little numb cold crashes on her skin, making her colder and more exhausted with every step.

The rain was beating down on them and the forest was filled with the sound of rain.

It was hard to catch Monroe like this. He looked miserable, that wasn't something new. But he was also less focused, his pure Monroe focus lacking this morning. It was what set her on edge.

When she felt the first roll of thunder now in the ground beneath her boots, her head jerked up. Charlie looked at the sky and her eyes started to scan the forest around them for a place where they could take shelter.

Between the rain and thunder and Monroe looking with wild eyes now, she knew they would not make it to the safe house.

She had been hunting and had been on her way back in a sunset that was tucked away by low hanging clouds of deep grey. Deep rolls of thunder that had been in the distance all night had caught up with her.

She had been about three miles from their current safe house when she had seen Monroe walking in front of her on her right. She had watched rigid shoulders, his boots hitting the ground. But something was of. His v neck, leather jacket and pants had been soaked in rain. His hair had been flatly against his head and was darker than it normally was. Some last wild curls had been fighting the rain, sticking out in messy peaks at the nape of his neck.

He had nodded at her when he had seen her. She knew he had probably been aware of her before that. Hearing her, or maybe sensing her the way she could sense him when he was close.

His face looked a kind of pale tan in grey early morning light. The rain was sliding from his hair to his forehead. From his cheeks and the scruff of his beard to the hairs of his moustache.

Bass kept his eyes in front of him. Bass already knew she was there before she opened her mouth. To get the hell away from a brother and girlfriend from hell who kept that brother on a tight dog leash, Bass had offered to go on a little recon trip last night to a re-education camp about 12 miles out. Everything had been fine until everything had gone to hell.

Rain had started to crash down on him on his way back. The normally so warm Texan night had turned into rain, rolls of thunder in the distance and a temperature dropping fast. Even for the time of the year, it was too cold. Kaki assholes on patrol had given him no choice but to keep on going. No time to make a fire or get out the rain.

So Bass did what he did best, what he had been trained for so many years once. He kept on going. Putting his boots in the dirt and mud in front of him. Alone and with his jacket zipped up. Never not aware of his surroundings, his focus reaching their safe house.

It had been a long night and he was a couple of miles separated from a fire, some of Miles' whiskey and a dry pair of damn pants. But two hours ago he had felt the silent killer of too low temperatures and too much rain creeping in on him. It started with a cold building up deep inside his gut. Then he felt his fingertips go numb. He knew, trouble was not far away.

Bass felt her glare as she was walking a bit behind him. He felt how his limbs were slowly turning into fucking ice. He knew the stages of hypothermia and he knew he was on his way to be truly fucked.

That, and his ego did not like her to be around to see him being all kinds of pathetic in front of her.

Charlie felt the first stroke of annoyance under her skin for even thinking about asking this. But she was not able to keep her mouth shut. Something was of.

'Everything all right Monroe?'

'I'm fine Charlotte.' Bass growled at her.

Charlie eyes turned into annoyed blue as she heard Monroe bark at her. They kept on walking in silence.

They walked another couple of minutes, and he did not see the root of a tree on his right. He almost stumbled. Fucking again. Bass moved his hand over his face, brushing away the rain from his face and regaining some of his focus. He could hear Miles' voice not far all of sudden. _Focus you moron._ They way Miles' voice reached him was almost eerie and he had trouble feeling his own hand making contact with his damn face.

'You sure you all right?' Charlie asked again.

Her voice was now close to, just like Miles had been a couple of moments ago.

'Dammit, Charlie, I am fine,' Bass yelled at her. This time he barked even louder, his voice low and joining a roll of thunder in the sky way too close, filled with frustration how the hell he was feeling.

He immediately felt regret following his outburst and annoyance of feeling like this.

Charlie had watched his eyes go to a place she really did not like. It was like he was fading away from a moment before coming back to her and the rain. She had been out for only a couple of hours but she knew Monroe had been here all night. He was soaked and cold.

Maggie had taught her enough to know Monroe was not fine and on his way to serious trouble.

They locked eyes as he let out a deep tired grunt. Charlie looked at him and then something came into focus right over his right shoulder. It was locked in brown of threes but her trained hunter eye made her not miss it. A small cabin or shed. She did not care. It meant shelter.

Her voice was firm when she spoke and nudged him towards it. 'Come on, let's go.'

He looked like someone just being bitten by some crazy dog when she touched his upper arm and told him to move.

Charlie looked up at him, truly pissed by now.

'I did not put my ass on the line so many times to save yours to let you die here because you are being an stubborn ass, Monroe.'

Her eyes told him that this discussion was over. And he knew better than to mess with Matheson stubbornness. And he did feel like hell. And Charlie kind of giving a shit about him broke through numbing cold in his gut.

Charlie expected him to put up one hell of a smug fight. Instead he looked at her, softer then he had done in a long time. His eyes were more gentle before she watched his eyes go to an unfocussed place again.

They needed to get off the road and out of the rain. Now.

* * *

She checked the safe house, as Monroe stumbled down into the small cabin behind her. His hands not being able to reach his fucking gun anymore. He would curse if the energy was not leaving his body so fucking fast. He had to steady himself by grabbing some wood of the wall next to him, feeling absolutely exhausted.

Charlie turned around at the sound of Monroe stumbling into the cabin. He almost doubled over, his shoulders low and not able to stand on his feet anymore.

Her mind got to work with Maggie's voice close to her. Her voice was soothing. Her steady voice as a steady comfort and knowing what to do next with her. _Get him warm, get him dry. Make a fire, make sure he keeps talking. Make sure his body temperature does not drop even lower._ The methods of how to do that were not far away in her mind too. She decided to shake them off and get to work.

Bass could only lean into the wall on his right.

Charlotte had gotten out of her jacket and was now on his way back to him.

Bass felt numb and somehow sick and cold as hell all at the same time. He watched his mom for a moment, there in cabin in the rain. Her warm smile, a yellow dress and her perfume close to him. Mom. Her eyes so clear. Bass was trying to reach out for her, missing her so fucking much and feeling her so close at the same time.

He felt how someone grasped his hand. It was warm. But his mom was gone now. A giant fucking hole in his heart turning into more miserable in his body of missing her so damn much.

But then, she was there. Charlie. Charlie's hand was in his.

Charlie steadied him, as she watched him look with warmth and then with absolute pain right through her. Then she felt how he felt her hand and he come back to her. Her slender frame supported him and there was a shock at the contact of her body against his side.

She moved him to a couch across the room. It moved under his weight.

'Hey, look at me.' Charlie tried, trying to make contact with him.

She started on his jacket, his wide shoulders now under her fingers.

'Charlie...you do not have to...this...' his words were too slow. His teeth jamming together as his jaws started to make sounds of clattering and cold.

'Shut up Monroe.' Her voice was strong but not unkind.

He felt overwhelmed by her knowing exactly what to do. She was following the steps in his own mind of what to do next with almost military precision.

Her hands were firm but gentle somehow. Charlie opened his jacket and shrugged it of his shoulder.

He tried to catch her eyes but she was already on the move again.

Charlie made a fire fast, building warmth wooden log by wooden log. The fire filled the room and started to warm up the place.

Then she started to roam through a closet in the far corner of the small room. She found a pile of blankets left behind. Thanking the person who had left them behind silently. Their own packs were soaked now, and useless.

She looked at Monroe and then at the couch. It was too far separated from the fire and dripping wet now from Monroe sitting on it. She placed some blankets on the floor before she walked back to Monroe.

Her fingers made a decision to start with his shirt. She moved it over his head, revealing cold skin with defined muscled. Wide upper arms moved with her when she got him out of the wet fabric of his v neck shirt.

'What ...what are you doing Charlie...' Bass stammered.

'Keeping you alive, Monroe.' Charlie said.

He started to move away from her hands, knowing it could not be her. Not like this. Not her hands, not her who would save him again. He hated sitting here, his body failing him. If anyone was going to take care of anyone, it was him. Him looking out for her.

He looked irritated as he tried to push her away.

'Dammit Bass, stop moving.' Charlie yelled, cursing at herself for forgetting she was not ready to call him by his nickname.

Bass forgot to move. His nickname rolling from his lips the way only Miles could yell it at him when he was worried out of his mind. It was the way Miles showed he cared, the more he would shout and curse, the more worried the moron was. He looked at Charlie. _A fucking Mini Miles indeed._

Charlie started to work on his boots. Looking at him truly and utterly pissed. She kept talking to him.

'You know, Aaron once tried to explain to me what a picture was. How you kept those in a book to look through later?' She added some force to get him out of his boot. 'Well, my mom's pissed face when I asked her to save your ass would have been a great one for the family album, Bass.' Charlie bit at him, when she started to work on his other boot. 'And I did not to go through all of that to let you die because some stupid hypothermia.'

She threw his boots to one side of the room.

Bass was utterly and completely speechless when they locked eyes and her words broke through. He would grin at her, for being so much Miles and her determination to fight this fight with him if he was not so damn fucking cold. And if her talking about what she did for him not almost broke him right fucking there.

They looked at each other. He tried not to curse at the way she moved to the button of his pants. But he could not give a fuck now. Cold, so fucking cold. She was so fucking far away.

Charlie watched him leave her and the room again as real worry started to spread now. Bass did not grin anymore, he did not make cruel snarky Monroe remark about her getting into his pants. This was not good _. Get him warm, under the blankets. Near the fire. Use your own body heat._

Maggie's voice again. 'Son of a bitch...' Charlie cursed softly as she knew there was no way around this.

'Come on.' She said calmly, moving him from the couch to the blankets in front of the fire.

Bass was in his damn boxers, and watching a Charlie strip in front of him. She got out of her boots. Threw away her pants and tank and bra. Then changed her mind, picking them up from the floor and grabbing his shit too. Putting their cloathes near the fire to make sure they had something dry to wear when they had to move out again. She had to keep on thinking, to make sure she would not make any mistakes that would cost them big.

She got through her knees and moved in beside him. He had reached the state where he was unable to move and almost unable to think.

Charlie grabbed some other blankets and moved them around her and Bass. She moved to his side and wrapped her body as much as she could around his. Her breasts against his chest, her leg over his thighs. Her arms around hard shoulders. He was cold, so cold. Too cold. And her eyes filled with worry as she knew her body needed warmth too. He kept his mouth shut, which was another alarming sign.

'Come on, stay with me ...' She ordered him, but unable to keep the worry out of her voice. And for one second, she wished he would do something Monroe like. Grab her ass, say something out of line. Anything but this.

When Bass felt how she wrapped her body around him and moved her arms around him he was not able to fucking move. The blankets close to his skin. Her voice telling him to stay with her. Her voice so far away. She was arm and smelled like her. So much of her there with her arms around his shoulders. Her warmth started to move to his skin.

The sound of rain outside and Monroe's tall strong wide body next to hers, and time moved on. Finally, a sigh of relieve moved through her when Bass finally started to move on his own. His arms moved closer to her and then around her, this time taking her in his arms.

She did not speak. She just let him guide her to his chest. She felt warm. Finally warm. And dry. And tucked away against another warm body. Against his skin. And there was something about the warm scent of his skin, of his wide chest and strong arms that made her give in.

She sighed, feeling how she tensed up and then relaxed against his and how he followed her not much later, as Bass did exactly the same.

* * *

They both knew they were out of danger. Both warm, both dry. But neither of them had made an effort to move. Bass was slowly brushing some of her hair that was flowing over her shoulder blades with his fingers.

They were laying side to side, the fire burning next to them, facing the other. Under blankets. Her head tucked under his chin.

'So, you could not let me die, huh?' He chuckled.

Charlie tilted her head, watching him, locking into those deeply blue eyes of him and that stupid smirk around his lips. She watched the lines around his eyes, so damn close.

His hand moved effortlessly to her upper arm. Fingers brushing the skin in slow strokes. Charlie rolled her eyes at him.

'Well, knowing that you still care, I think it is adorable.' Bass smirked.

And right at the moment she thought about killing him all over again, Bass smiled. An actual real smile that moved over his face and left her no choice but to soften her eyes and smile back.

Bass did not kiss her. She expected him to kiss her. But he didn't. And it was at the moment she realised he was not going to, that taught her that she wished he did. Bass held her close, brushed her skin with slow oh so good fingers. Making her want him to kiss him even more. The thought was there all of a sudden. Real and taking form. But it was just like Bass knew she needed whatever he was giving her. So she let Monroe touch her, hold her. She was warm and for a moment he shielded her from war and threats and running for their lives.

She immersed herself in the moment, when she watched Bass and moved back into the nook of his neck. Where it was warm. Where it was him.

Bass just pulled her closer, his arms now around her again. He was tempted to kiss her, he fucking was. But this was Charlie and so much shit happened. He did not want to push anything. Giving her what she needed in her own time.

He felt her seeking out his warmth. He was relieved she was not looking at him all of sudden, her lips against his chest. Because that meant having to share with her how much this moment meant to him.

He let his fingers move over her skin, stroking her skin with slow movements. He felt her sigh and melt more into him. So he did not stop, giving her everything she wanted. More if she would ask him later.

He knew he should keep his damn mouth shut but he couldn't.

'Charlie?'

Charlie sighed, not sure what kind of whining would come next to Monroe was back to being Monroe. 'Yeah?'

'Glad you are here.' His voice was low and close to her ear.

Charlie almost fell apart because of so much raw honesty coming from Monroe.

She honestly did not know what to say, how to answer. So she just moved her hand over his lower arm. Her fingers brushing the scarred skin right under his elbow. She was not ready to say anything back. But she knew how she felt. It was real and taking more form. She was caressing his skin with her own fingers. Unknowingly she was brushing his arm that held the symbol of family and better days. The _M_ for Monroe, and for Matheson. Her in his arms. Monroe and Matheson. She was not ready to talk. She just held on to him, hoping hoped he understood.

When he nuzzled her hair, she know he did.

* * *

A cold night from hell had turned into a rainy grey morning and him almost dying from fucking hypothermia. Into someone taking care of him. Another Matheson too stubborn to leave his side. But Charlie, she brought even more to the table than Miles.

Softer, warmer, steady hands and her crashing through his defences. Her warm body wrapped around his. Charlie in his arms. Moving the morning into the early afternoon.

He watched her wake up slowly. Charlie moved in his arms and took in his scent. The warmth between the blankets and the scent of the fire. They locked eyes as she turned. He could not help himself. He moved fingers over her jaw, his hand close to her neck.

But then, there was the smallest of sounds outside. And Bass' hand flew to the weapon next to him, the weapon he knew Charlie, his mind forming the words _his girl_ all of his own, had left there for them. F _or him ,_ for her in case of trouble.

He moved in front of Charlie. Shielding her with his body, his gun aimed at the door with one large hand wrapped around it and his steel intensity ready to explode that Charlie watched back in his eyes. Charlie kept a blanket close to her body when she held a knife in her own hand.

Trouble arrived with a door crashing open and Miles in the door, followed by Rachel.

'What if we told you this is not what it looks like?' Bass tried in his low burning _lets all relax folks_ voice. He held up one hand with the gun still in it.

Charlie had to turn her head before an actual to god giggle escaped her lips at the sight of a shocked uncle and an horrified mother in the doorway in the early afternoon sun. She buried her nose in Bass' neck to stop the sound at the complete amount of ridiculous of this situation.

'What the hell...'Miles started with a gun in his hand.

Moments passed, Charlie hid behind Bass wide shoulders as her nose brushed his warm skin.

'You have got to be kidding me Bass, you . have got to be kidding me !' Miles yelled at the sight of a fucking naked Bass on a blanket and his niece next to him next to a fire.

Bass looked from Miles to Rachel, never not aware of Charlie next to him in their bed of blankets. Miles looked he was about to beat the shit out of him. He probably definitely would do that outside in about two minutes. And Rachel, oh she would definitely try to kill him now. Well, at least things were just like they had been. Nothing new there.

But then Bass heard Charlie giggle, and he felt her warm body still tucked behind his own. And it was her warm skin against his, but most of all the giggle and the warm breath that came with that sound in his neck that made him grin, curse inside and decide in one second it was all fucking worth it.

* * *

 **Author's Note: We had a night of rain and thunder and I woke up with the sound of rain. Making me want to write this. It is a one shot but I have some thoughts about continuing it. Maybe a little drunken contest in front of another fire between Bass and Charlie of them trying to decide who saved the other's life the most? For now I promise to go back and finish Aaron's bachelor Party and finish the first chapter of the story I am writing for Lemon! A review or feedback is always appreciated! Love from Love**


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